


Something to Look Forward To

by plumeofthepen



Series: In These Modern Times [1]
Category: Historical RPF, The Terror (TV 2018), The Terror - Dan Simmons
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mostly happily ever after, Pregnancy, child birth, resurrection AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:26:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22652476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeofthepen/pseuds/plumeofthepen
Summary: There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and James Fitzjames had found his.
Relationships: Commander James Fitzjames/Original Female Character
Series: In These Modern Times [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629484
Kudos: 2





	Something to Look Forward To

“Alexandra,” the elderly man greeted as she exited the cab and quickly fetched her luggage “He doesn’t know that you’re here.” Alexandra followed him inside of the entry of the as he continued to explain how none of his tenant seemed to stay inside most days and that his disposition seemed to darken with his mood - and that some country air would do him a lot of good.

The room Alexandra found him in was darke even with the electric lights light and the small amount of sunlight that attempted to pee through the draw curtains, she paused at the doorway as her luggage was sat in the hallway and she was directed to another room down the hall, that she was welcomed to use if it came to that.

“James,” even though her voice was barely above a whisper as she called to him, his head turned slightly towards the doorway in which she still stood “I shouldn’t have left...I should have begged, pleaded...I should have insisted...I’m sorry.” 

He made no movement to come to her and it broke her, he was a mere shadow of his former self. Gone was the officer who won her heart and gone was the proud war hero full of charm and mischievousness. 

“Alexandra...don’t leave me,” she was surprised to hear his voice call after her as she left to retreat to the other room. She turned back to the way she came and found him standing in the doorway which she formerly had occupied, and she couldn’t help but notice his haphazard appearance, which was so out of character for him.

“Never again,” she assured as she wrapped him in a tight embrace before placing a tender kiss on his lips.

——

“Will it have a big yard,” he asked his beloved as she laid in his arms on their wedding night “so our children have plenty of room to play?” The ceremony was perfect and had taken place in a church six centuries old with a simple reception as was more customary to his time.

She fell pregnant with their first before they even had time to fully settle into their new home in Morecambe. The selling of most of her physical assets in America had allowed them to purchase their new home comfortably and despite bouts of morning sickness she was determined to not leave all the work to him. 

There was nothing James enjoyed more than watching his wife’s middle grow with the promise of new life and there was nothing they relished more than laying lazzly in bed feeling their child squirm and kick within her. During one instance of affection he had her dress hiked up over her stomach as he peppered her round stomach with a multitude of kisses, luckily they were mostly alone on the sand of the seashore. 

Alexandra was now into her thirty-eighth week of pregnancy as she found herself uncomfortable more times as not. “Your mother arrives tomorrow?” James inquired as he help her swing her legs on to the bed as he tucked the blanket around her distended middle pausing to cradle their child - a daughter - in both palms. 

“You're going to be a fantastic father...to her,” she settled her hands on top of his “because you're a wonderful husband.” He placed a kiss upon her lips before moving to his side of the bed and settled in as he placed a protective arm around his expectant wife. They had always enjoyed an intimate relationship that followed them through most of the pregnancy and only waned as Alexandra became more uncomfortable. 

A few weeks prior she had ventured to ask if he still found her appealing and he had assured her that the problem was that he had never not wanted her - which was going to result in at least one more child. Their daughter, who was affectionately coined as “Baby Fitz” by all but her parents, was now in the homestretch. 

——

A week after her grandmothers arrival “Baby Fitz” decided to make an early entrance, Alexandra’s labour began early one morning and lasted through the entire day. James was ever the doubting husband as he cradled his laboring wife and dabbed cool water on her head.

“Little pushes now,” the midwife’s kind voice spoke what Alexandra already knew - their daughter was almost there “you need to stretch around her so you don’t tear.” 

“You are so incredible,” James praises as his peppers his wife’s neck with kisses, completely ignoring the hard grips she had on both of his hands as she attempted not to brace herself against her husbands strong chest as she willed her body to obey the midwife's gentle commands.

“Don’t push...just breath,” she could the voice instruct as the “ring of fire” came upon her.

“James!” She moaned out as he attempted to obey despite what her body was telling her to do.

“You are doing fantastic...she’s almost here,” he encouraged “our little Sophia is nearly here.”

“Big push now love and your daughter will be here,” the midwife commanded and Alexandra was happy to obey as she bared down with all of her strength as she felt their daughter slip free into the midwife's waiting hands as she was quickly placed on her mother's chest. The little girl had a mess of dark curls on her head that mirrored her father’s.

Her mother, Joyce, had been manning the video chat with her father that had chosen to remain in San Francisco, those present let out a mix of laughter and tears as Sophia made her debut. 

“How did we create something so perfect?” James adoringly asked his exhausted and sore wife as she met his gaze adoringly the tears welling in her brown eyes as he fought back his own. Alexandra became aware of the familiar need to bear down as the afterbirth was delivered, after which Sophia was thoroughly cleaned and dressed gingerly by her father before being placed back in her mother’s arms to suckle “I love you,” he said he placed a tender kiss on her lips before placing one on the newborn's head.

“You look so beautiful, Alex!” Her father shouted adoringly from the device’s screen “Let me see more of my granddaughter!”

——

Sophia wiggled in her mother’s tight and gentle grip as the priest said the prayer above her and dabbled her with dots of holy water, as James beamed on with pride.

The newly Christiansted Sophia Elizabeth Fitzjames squirmed as she reached her small hand towards her father's face as he bent his head to meet her hand with his lips and withdrew his face in the nick of time to prevent her tiny figures from meeting his nostrils.

“Perhaps you could bring Sophia to Ireland and pay a visit to Francis?” Sir John Franklin dared to suggest to the beaming new mother “No one has seen or heard from him in quite a while...it may liven his spirits!” 

“I’ll discuss it with James,” she offered in response. Francis Crozier had always been polite or cordial towards her and even had attended their wedding, much to everyone’s surprise. 

“What are you feeding her, James?” Came the exclaimeated voice of Lieutenant Graham Gore as the little girl demonstrated her iron grip on his finger and once it was free from her grasp he gave it a flex to make sure it was still working “She’s definitely a Fitzjames.”

——

Francis Crozier looked positively in shock as they appeared on his stoop with the infant in hand “Francis,” James beamed at the weary older man “We thought you would like to meet our daughter?”

“Daughter?” Came Francis’ rough Irish bur “I had no idea you were even expecting?”

James noticed the mist in the older man’s eyes as Alexandra brought their daughter towards him “Say ‘hi’ to Uncle Francis,” Alexandra coed to the infant girls as her deep eyes met his weary ones. 

“Well look at that?” Came the rough yet kind voice of Thomas Blakey as he shuffled forward.

“We’re glad you aren’t always alone,” Alexandra’s kindly voice spoke as the man.

“What did you name her?” Francis asked as he mustered back the tears.

“Sophia Elizabeth,” replied her father.

“Sophia…” Crozier was now openly weeping at the mention of the name of his long lost unrequited love. One could only be resilient for so long before it breaks you and the world had broken Francis Crozier, as he had taken the full weight of the expedition’s fate upon his shoulders, even though it seemed to have unphased Sir John, perhaps because his warnings went unheeded. 

“It’s not your fault, Francis” Alexandra assured “You did what you could with the circumstances you were given.” 

After a pleasant and yet sober visit with Francis and Thomas, the Fitzjames’ returned to their home in Morecambe as Sophia was no doubt overwhelmed and it was coming to the surface.

“I was one of the lucky ones,” James spoke somberly when he returned to their bed after putting Sophia down for the night “I had someone to get me through it...I had something to look forward to.”

“He’ll get through it,” Alexandra assured her husband “You all will.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was written with the real life Fitzjames and other crew members in mind, with a bit of influence from the The Terror.


End file.
